Progress?
About a month ago, our kitchen looked like this:
It was functional, but we had to deal with the flooring in the dining room (since it's gross, likely asbestos tile, and needed to be covered). Since the dining room and kitchen connect, we decided that if we were going to fix the flooring, we needed to tackle the kitchen as a whole. Long story short, we removed the cabinets on one side and ran into a few minor quirks when we started to install the new cabinets. Basically, it just meant that it took a bit longer than anticipated.
Now, they are installed and ready for countertops (thank goodness!) and Josh (who has become Mr. DIY) is thankful that the most tedious part of this project seems to be done.
We still need to remove the other side of cabinets, but since there is no connecting and leveling involved, that side shouldn't take super long (fingers-crossed!)
And then there is the flooring. We wanted to tile this weekend, so Josh removed 90% of the tile while Luke and I were in Minnesota. But, upon returning to Texas and going to the store to pick up the tile we ordered, we learned that they only got 22 pieces of tile instead of 22 boxes (but we were charged for 22 boxes). So, now we are walking around on plywood for another 1-2 weeks while we wait for the tile order to get straightened out.
In the meantime, I'm trying to stay optimistic and dream of the bigger picture. I know that it will probably be months before everything is finished, but I'm really really hoping that I have a kitchen with countertops, floors, and a sink by the end of September.
This weekend, I hope to make a final decision about the color of the cabinets (I know it's weird that I don't have everything 100% planned out!), so I'm doing some color/stain samples and lots of pinning.
Right now, I'm leaning towards doing stained lower cabinets and white uppers. Even though I was pretty set on an all white kitchen (I love white kitchens!), these images struck me.
Plus, if I hate the stained lowers in about 6 months, I can always paint them :) In the age of dirty baby hands and lots of cabinet banging, I'm thinking that stain might be easier to upkeep.
Honestly, it's easy for me to get overwhelmed with all the choices and feel like choosing finishes, flooring, and countertops are world-changing decisions. But, you know what? They aren't.
It's a kitchen. I told Josh last night that in the end I want a space that is family-friendly, functional, and pretty. I want it to be a space that cooks meals for families with new babies, potluck dinners, and everyday meals. I want to enjoy candlelight dinners after Luke goes to bed with Josh on our handmade table. I want it to be lived in and well-loved.
So, what's your vote. Stained or painted?
It was functional, but we had to deal with the flooring in the dining room (since it's gross, likely asbestos tile, and needed to be covered). Since the dining room and kitchen connect, we decided that if we were going to fix the flooring, we needed to tackle the kitchen as a whole. Long story short, we removed the cabinets on one side and ran into a few minor quirks when we started to install the new cabinets. Basically, it just meant that it took a bit longer than anticipated.
(We added a few extra cabinets to gain some extra counter space. Also, you can see our gross floor that we uncovered when we removed the orange carpet)
Now, they are installed and ready for countertops (thank goodness!) and Josh (who has become Mr. DIY) is thankful that the most tedious part of this project seems to be done.
We still need to remove the other side of cabinets, but since there is no connecting and leveling involved, that side shouldn't take super long (fingers-crossed!)
And then there is the flooring. We wanted to tile this weekend, so Josh removed 90% of the tile while Luke and I were in Minnesota. But, upon returning to Texas and going to the store to pick up the tile we ordered, we learned that they only got 22 pieces of tile instead of 22 boxes (but we were charged for 22 boxes). So, now we are walking around on plywood for another 1-2 weeks while we wait for the tile order to get straightened out.
(Luke loves collecting items and leaving them wherever)
In the meantime, I'm trying to stay optimistic and dream of the bigger picture. I know that it will probably be months before everything is finished, but I'm really really hoping that I have a kitchen with countertops, floors, and a sink by the end of September.
This weekend, I hope to make a final decision about the color of the cabinets (I know it's weird that I don't have everything 100% planned out!), so I'm doing some color/stain samples and lots of pinning.
Right now, I'm leaning towards doing stained lower cabinets and white uppers. Even though I was pretty set on an all white kitchen (I love white kitchens!), these images struck me.
Plus, if I hate the stained lowers in about 6 months, I can always paint them :) In the age of dirty baby hands and lots of cabinet banging, I'm thinking that stain might be easier to upkeep.
Honestly, it's easy for me to get overwhelmed with all the choices and feel like choosing finishes, flooring, and countertops are world-changing decisions. But, you know what? They aren't.
It's a kitchen. I told Josh last night that in the end I want a space that is family-friendly, functional, and pretty. I want it to be a space that cooks meals for families with new babies, potluck dinners, and everyday meals. I want to enjoy candlelight dinners after Luke goes to bed with Josh on our handmade table. I want it to be lived in and well-loved.
Keeping the perspective that the kitchen/dining space is more about the memory and the making than the pinterest-worthiness or latest and greatest is definitely helping me from making this more than what it really is.
It's a kitchen.
So, what's your vote. Stained or painted?
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I've never seen the stained lowers and painted uppers before but it is definitely a cool look and I think you're right about easier upkeep on those. A few months ago my husband painted all of our 70's Oak kitchen cabinets- I went with white uppers and gray lowers after thinking I would go all white. It would definitely be nice to not worry about the paint getting scratched or dinged by my two boys- cuz I do worry. I has held up well but it's only been a few months so we'll see.
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